490  Chemical  Notes.  {^Z^n*** 
Quinia  Lactate  :  Pure  quinia  gr.  Ixx,  lactic  acid  gr.  xxxv  ;  if  neces- 
sary these  are  triturated  together  with  a  little  alcohol  ;  the  product 
corresponds  to  100  gr.  quinia  lactate. 
Quinia  Phosphate  :  Quinia  sulphate  gr.  xciv,  sodium  phosphate  gr, 
lxxx  ;  the  product  corresponds  to  100  gr.  quinia  phosphate. — Zeitschr. 
Allg.  Oest.  Apoth.  Ver.,  1879,  p.  354,  from  Journ.  de  Pharm.  et  de 
Chim.,  May,  1879,  p.  453. 
CHEMICAL  NOTES. 
By  Prof.  Samuel  P.  Sadtler. 
Inorganic  Chemistry. — Lecoq  de  Boisbaudran,  the  discoverer  of 
gallium,  announces  the  discovery  of  a  new  element,  Samarium,  in  the 
American  samarskite.  As  yet  he  has  not  isolated  either  the  metal  or 
its  oxide,  because  of  the  extreme  difficulty  of  separating  it  from  the 
accompanying  elements  decipium  and  didymium.  He,  however,  maps 
the  spectrum  of  nitrate  of  samarium  and  compares  it  with  that  of 
nitrate  of  decipium,  as  given  by  its  discoverer  De  la  Fontaine,  and 
shows  that  samarium  has  four  strong  bands  in  its  spectrum,  of  which 
two  are  in  the  blue  and  two  in  the  violet.  One  of  the  blue  and  one  of 
the  violet  bands  nearly  correspond  to,  and  indeed  overlap,  two  of  the 
bands  characteristic  of  decipium.  As  numerous  investigators  have  the 
earths  from  samarskite  under  examination,  we  shall  doubtless  hear 
shortly  of  farther  results. — Comptes  Rendus,  No.  89,  p.  212. 
On  the  recently -discovered  element  Scandium. — Prof.  Cle  ve  announces 
that  this  element  is  found  not  only  in  the  ytterbine,  but  in  the  gadoli- 
nite  and  yttrotitanite  of  Norway.  It  forms  but  the  one  oxide,  Sc203. 
The  composition  of  the  double  sulphate  with  ammonia  and  the  double 
oxalate  with  potassium  both  prove  this.  The  atomic  weight  of  the 
metal  scandium,  as  determined  from  the  repeatedly  purified  oxide,  is 
45*12.  Its  oxide,  Sc2Os,  is  a  powder,  perfectly  white,  light  and  infu- 
sible, resembling  magnesia.  Acids,  even  the  strongest,  attack  it  with 
difficulty,  although  it  is  more  soluble  than  alumina.  The  hydrate  of 
scandium  is  a  white,  voluminous  precipitate,  resembling  hydrated  alu- 
mina. This  hydrate  is  insoluble  in  an  excess  of  ammonia  and  in 
caustic  potassa.  The  salts  of  scandium  are  colorless  or  white.  They 
possess  an  astringent  and  very  bitter  taste,  very  different  from  the  sweet 
